During a press conference Nadiia Yushchenko, who represented the agency Ukrinform, asked the head of State Committee why “the registration of another Greek Catholic Orthodox Church was refused.”
In the agency Ukrinform on February 18, the Ukrainian Association of Religious Freedom (UARF) conducted a press conference with the participation of Yurii Reshetnikov, the head of the State Committee on Nationalities and Religions, Viktor Yelenskii, president of the UARF, Petro Hanulich, the secretary general, and Oleksandr Zayets, the head of the administration of the Institute of Religious Freedom, during which was discussed the state of religious freedom in Ukraine and the world, and also changes which take place at the legislative level in this area. The web site of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church posted this story on 23 February.
During the press conference Nadiia Yushchenko, who represented the agency Ukrinform, asked the head of State Committee why “the registration of another Greek Catholic Orthodox Church was refused.” Yurii Reshetnikov answered: “This question depends not so much on our Committee, as on the law defence authorities, as, according to current information, there are three foreigners in the administration of this religious community who from 2005 stayed illegally on the territory of Ukraine.” According to the head of State Committee, it’s about a typical schismatic display “when a few who are dissatisfied by the church’s authority proclaim themselves bishops, and then try to register another parallel Greek Catholic Church.” “When we appeal to the legislation, even without regard to the unlawful stay of some people on the territory of Ukraine, we get a response that the state respects the internal intentions of churches. According to the Catholic canonical law, not a single community can be named Catholic without the blessing from the side of the Vatican,” Reshetnikov remarked.
“About what kind of permission from the side of the Vatican is possible to talk about in this case, if the higher judicial instances of the Vatican (Apostolic Signature, - editor) proclaimed these people (“Dognal Group,” editor) as not having any connection to the church in general. The documents that they give can not have any law consequences,” the correspondent of RISU retells the words of Yurii Reshetnikov. Summarizing, Yurii Reshetnikov said that understanding the negative result that can be caused by the registration, the committee did not register this organization. “It is impermissible in relation to the UGCC, and what they write about Patriarch Husar in general questions the presence of moral qualities in them,” remarked the head of the State Committee on Nationalities and Religion